A Princess In a Land Without Magic
by Paige M. Carter
Summary: AU Princess Emma finds herself pregnant and unmarried after her true love is killed in battle. Determined not to shame her parents, she sets out for a new life, but an act of vengeance by an old enemy sends to the land without magic or happy ending. Full pairings inside.
1. A Hard Decision

Full Summary: In an Enchanted Forest that was never touched by the curse, Princess Emma Ruth finds herself in an unwelcome predicament. Determined to not shame her family, she sets out for a new life; but an enemy of the past is determined to wreak vengeance.

Pairing: Rumplestiltskin/Belle, Snow/Charming, AU!Emma/Baelfire, Past!Emma/Neal Cassidy.

Author's Note: First Once Upon a Time story. This story assumes that Baelfire and Neal Cassidy are the same. This story takes place after the curse is broken and after 'Queen of Hearts' but Belle doesn't lose her memory. Also, Princess Emma's title comes from the game series 'Dark Parables', if you've never played them, I highly recommend them as they are about fairy tales.

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Emma Ruth, Princess Royal and Heir of the Northern Forest and Mountain Kingdoms, stared at herself in the full-length mirror in her room. It wasn't very noticeable just yet, but she could detect a small swelling on her normally flat stomach.

She'd known when she skipped her first monthly that this was a possibility, but she'd prayed that it wasn't true. She was a princess, not a common wench! She couldn't have a baby before she was married, her parents would never forgive her, especially when they found out who the father was.

She'd never meant for it to happen. A new knight had come into the kingdom and, as was customary, he'd come to pay his respects to her father.

He'd said his name was Bae and he'd come from a far off part of the Enchanted Forest. He'd made no secret of the fact that he'd come from poor beginnings but had fought bravely in various wars in other parts of the Forest and had been knighted by King William and Lancelot vouched for him. Seemingly impressed, her father had offered him a place in his army, but Emma had been mesmerized by the new knight. Bae wasn't traditionally handsome, but his eyes were kind and his smile was sweet and for a young girl, that was enough.

Over the next few months, their courtship had been carrying on in secret. Even though neither of her parents put much stock in anyone's family line, preferring to focus on their actual deeds, she knew that they wouldn't be thrilled by her infatuation with someone like Bae, at least, not at the moment. Emma was confident that when Bae really proved himself, that her parents would have no problems with the match.

Then, two months ago, disaster had struck. Word had come of Dark Creatures attacking villages on the outer edges of the kingdom. Her father had gone with a good chunk of his army, including Bae, to deal with the problem. Before he'd left, Bae had pledged his love and had given Emma a ring with the promise that when they got back, he'd speak to her father about marriage. Emma had been so happy; she'd given him more than just her heart. A month ago, her father had returned with the remnants of his army. They'd managed to fight off the creatures, but at the loss of a great many men, including Bae. Emma was devastated, but managed to hide her grief from her parents. Now, she was staring at the consequences of her actions.

One thing was certain, she couldn't tell her parents. Emma loved her parents more than anything, but she knew that they wouldn't be happy when they found out about this, especially since Bae was dead and unable to make an honest woman of her.

Emma needed help, but she didn't have anyone to turn to, just about all the older people in her life were friends with her parents and they'd all tell them and her younger siblings were the worst at keeping secrets.

She couldn't and wouldn't bring shame to her family. She needed to leave the kingdom and go somewhere where no one would recognize her and start over. She'd claim to be a widow and start a new, albeit less comfortable, life for herself and her unborn child.

She gave her everyday clothes a hard look; she couldn't take them with her, as much as she liked them, they'd be useless and might give her away. She looked at the clothes she wore when they went hunting, worked in the garden or when she was learning to fight with her father and Lancelot. Even though the kingdom had been peaceful for years, her parents insisted that Emma and her siblings learn how to survive. They often went on camping and hunting trips where they learned what plants were good for what and how to live off the land. Emma loved these excursions, though her sisters Eva and Ruby were more interested in their dresses and suitors than in learning survival skills.

She quickly dressed in her favorite hunting outfit and began stashing her clothes, hunting supplies, and a few trinkets and things she couldn't bear to part with, including her baby blanket, into a bag that had been a gift from the Blue Fairy for her eighteenth birthday that could hold anything and still be light as a feather.

After making sure there was nothing else she wanted to take and making sure she still had Bae's ring, she crept out of her room. She knew her sisters were deeply asleep and that her parents were in the Council chamber, discussing how to defend the frontiers of the kingdom from further attacks. She slipped downstairs and out of the castle, heading for area at the back of the family's garden. Bae had shown her that there was an area that was undefended most of the time and they'd kept a rowboat there for when they wanted to sneak out of the castle and look at the stars without fear of being discovered by her family, the guards, or dwarves.

Emma carefully climbed into the boat and rowed herself across the lake. It was a lot harder than she was used to, Bae had always rowed them out, but she gritted her teeth against the screaming pain in her arms and shoulders and rowed across the lake, though she didn't remember it being quite so wide when Bae was rowing. After what felt like forever, she finally made it to the far shore and, grabbing her pack, she headed off to her new life, far away.

She was so focused on her plan; she never noticed the eyes following her path through the woods.

****A Few Days Later****

Emma sighed with exhaustion as she slumped against a tree. Not for the first time, she wished that she'd brought her horse with her, but since horses were primarily used by royalty, they weren't conducive to anonymity, so she was walking. She was pretty sure she was making good time, the towns were growing less and less familiar and she was getting fewer and fewer confused looks.

She reached into her pack, she'd bought some food at the last town and had filled her drinking canteen at the town's well.

Emma stretched her legs out in front of her, it was nice to rest her aching feet since walking the way she was while pregnant was not easy and it tired her out a great deal. She leaned her head back against the tree and closed her eyes; she never knew what hit her.

Regina smiled in triumph as she watched the young girl relax against the tree. She'd waited eighteen long years for this moment, waited for Snow and James to lower their guard, so she could finally have her revenge.

The years had diminished Regina's beauty somewhat, but not her burning hatred for Snow White and her determination to destroy any happiness her hated rival might have. She wasn't crazy or stupid enough to try and attack Snow and James directly, she'd hurt them through their children. So she'd watched, watched the children be born and grow up, she'd watched Emma and the knight flirt and make promises. When she'd watched the young girl slip out of the castle, she'd known her time for vengeance had come.

Moving silently, she approached the sleeping girl and pulled out a bean out of a pouch and carefully tossed it on the ground at the girl's feet. A swirling pool of purple light appeared in the ground. Regina crept up to the girl and shoved her into the swirling light and watched as she disappeared before the portal closed.

Regina smirked as she slipped into the forest, one down, two to go and then her vengeance would be complete.

TBC


	2. A Surprise In The Library

Note: I admit that one of the items in this chapter was inspired by Harry Potter. In this story, fairies can sense True Love.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Once Upon a Time, or its characters. I'm just playing with them for my own twisted amusement.

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Belle was excited as she flitted through the library. It had taken a lot of work, but the library was almost ready for opening. Everyone seemed really excited; Mary Margaret had already promised that the school would be bringing children in for projects and storytime and she and Ruby had busted their rears setting up an area just for the children with cheerfully painted walls, comfy cushions to sit on, and a chair for the storyteller with every kind of children's book.

As she was settling down to finish up the history section, she heard a whooshing sound followed by a woman's scream and a thud. Running to the main room, she found a girl lying in the middle of the floor. She cautiously approached the figure and knelt down beside her.

The face was young and unlined, but Belle recognized it immediately as the woman she knew as Emma Swan. She rushed to the phone and dialed the sheriff's office, hoping Emma or David was there.

David opened on the first ring, "Sheriff's Station, Deputy Nolan speaking."

"David, it's Belle. I need you to come to the library."

"Calm down, Belle," David said, soothingly, "I'll be there in a minute." He hung up and grabbed his jacket before heading out.

Belle knelt beside the girl, she wasn't what to do, she didn't seem to be bleeding or hurt, but Belle was certain that she wasn't supposed to move her. She could see that the girl was young, likely in her teens and from a time and place Belle remembered all too well. Except…it wasn't possible. Emma and Mary Margaret had said that while the Enchanted Forest hadn't been destroyed, it was now overrun with monsters and not really fit to live in.

Before she could investigate further, the door opened and David strode in. "What's going on, Belle? Why did you-" He froze when he saw the girl. "Who's this?"

Belle shrugged, "I don't know! All I heard was a whoosh, a scream, and a thud and when I came to see what was going on, there she was."

David nodded as he knelt beside the girl, his eyes widened with shock when he saw her face. He looked at Belle, who shrugged, "I know. The minute I saw her face, I called you."

David nodded, and after checking to make sure the girl was still alive, gathered her up in his arms, "I'm going to take her to the hospital. Could you call the school and leave a message for Mary Margaret, telling her to meet me there? I'll call Emma as soon as I'm at the hospital." At her nod, he gently lifted the girl into his arms and carried her out to the car.

****A Little While Later****

Mary Margaret rushed into the hospital, a worried look on her face. All Belle's message had said was that David needed her to meet him at the hospital, though she'd assured Mary Margaret that David was fine. Mary Margaret, however, would not be convinced until she saw David's face.

She found her husband standing outside a room, a confused and worried look on his face. "Charming! What's going on?! Why did you ask me to come here?! Is it Emma? Is she alright?"

David held up a hand, "Emma is fine, I just spoke to her." He sighed, wondering how to explain this.

"Take a look and I'll explain."

Mary Margaret frowned, but she peeked in, and when she saw who was on, her eyes widened in confusion, "How?"

David shrugged, "I don't know. She's not our Emma, I just called her, just to make sure it wasn't our Emma. According to Belle, she heard a whoosh, a scream and a thud and found her lying in the floor."

Mary Margaret frowned, "How is this possible? She can't be more than seventeen or eighteen."

David shook his head, "I don't know. I'm waiting for Doctor Whale to finish some tests and we'll go from there."

He'd no sooner spoke than Doctor Whale came down the hall.

"Got the tests back. She's as healthy as can be expected since she apparently fell onto a hard floor out of thin air." He scanned the file in his hands. "Also, she's pregnant. I'd say about 4 months along. We'll run an ultrasound when she wakes up, but right now, except for some dehydration, probably from morning sickness, everything looks good."

David and Mary Margaret nodded and sat down.

"So, we've got an Emma who looks to be about eighteen and pregnant, the same as our Emma ten years ago," Mary Margaret sighed. "I don't understand how this is possible."

David shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe we should ask Mother Superior, she'd probably know how this is possible." He sat up a little straighter, "Why don't we go back to the station, I'll call Mother Superior and ask her to meet us there and we'll talk about what's going on and what it means. Also, this was found in her clothes," He held up a bag that Mary Margaret had never seen before. "I tried to pull something out of it and got nothing."

Mary Margaret hesitated, torn between wanting to know more about the girl that so resembled her daughter, and wanting to stay and make sure this girl was alright, whoever she was.

David saw her look, "Mary Margaret, there's nothing we can do right now. She's going to be out for awhile and there's no guarantee that she'll know who we are when she wakes up. Let's go to the station and try and get some of this worked out before she comes to."

Mary Margaret finally nodded and followed David out of the hospital. Hopefully, they'd find an answer to this mystery.

Emma was waiting on them when they got back to the station, "Hey, what's up? I heard something about you having to take someone to the hospital."

David nodded, "Has Mother Superior gotten here yet?" He didn't want to have to explain this twice. It was headache inducing enough as it was, without having to re-explain it.

Emma shook her head, "No. Why?"

David sighed, "Because I don't want to have to explain this twice."

A few minutes later, Mother Superior rushed in, "David? What's going on?"

David sighed and gestured for her to sit down. "I got a call from Belle saying that she needed me to come to the library. When I got there, I found a girl that looks just like Emma, except that she looks to be about eighteen and is dressed in clothing I recognize from the Enchanted Forest. I took her to the hospital and Dr. Whale says that other than dehydration, she's fine. She's also pregnant." He looked at Mother Superior, "How is this possible?"

Mother Superior sighed, "There are many worlds besides this one and our Enchanted Forest. It's likely that this Emma came from a world where the Dark Curse didn't happen and so, grew up in an Enchanted Forest, just not ours."

David nodded, and pulled out the bag. "This was found in her clothes. I tried to get something out of it, to tell me who she was, but I came up empty."

"It's a Secretkeeper bag," Mother Superior said, in awe. The owner can put any item into it and it will hold it and still be light as a feather and only the owner can access the items within. They're very difficult to make and are usually given as gifts for a special occasion, like a milestone birthday or a wedding." She looked over at Emma, "Why don't you see if you can get something out of it? The bag may recognize you as the owner."

Emma looked at her skeptically, but took the bag. "So, how does this work?"

Mother Superior shrugged, "I've never made one myself, but if the bag recognizes you as its owner, you should be able to just reach in and pull something out."

Emma still looked skeptical, but reached into the bag and, to her amazement, felt her hand close around something. Giving the item a tug, she was stunned to find a bow in her hand."

"Okay, so we know that the bag recognizes Emma as its owner," Mary Margaret said. "Now what?"

Emma shrugged, "I guess I keep pulling stuff out until I get it all."

It seemed to take forever, but Emma finally cleaned out everything in the Secretkeeper bag: A bow, a quiver of arrows, several knives, clothes, a small bag of coins, some food, a flask of water, some jewelry, including a locket that made both Mary Margaret and David well up with tears, an all-too-familiar baby blanket, and a stack of letters tied with ribbon. Carefully untying the ribbon, she divided the letters between the four of them and began reading.

The letters all seem to be love letters, and from the looks of things, the girl(she refused to think of her as anyone else) and her boyfriend were clearly in love and discussing their future together. However, Emma kept reading about how the boyfriend was confident of earning the approval of the girl's father. "Seems like our girl's father didn't approve of her boyfriend."

Mary Margaret shook her head, "I don't think so. According to this letter, he wants the father's approval so he can ask for her hand. Sounds to me like the father didn't know."

Mother Superior was quiet as she browsed through her stack of letters. Each letter was signed the same, 'Love, Bae'. The name nagged at her, she'd met only one person who went by Bae, and the thought both haunted and intrigued her. The letters spoke of True Love, her powers as a fairy confirmed it. She couldn't be certain of who 'Bae' was, but if her suspicions were right and the story that was playing out for this young girl was the same as a story that had already played out in this world, then things were about to get very interesting.

Suddenly, the phone rang, making them all jump.

"Sheriff's Station, Deputy Nolan speaking. She is? We're on our way." He turned to the others, "Our girl's awake."

TBC


End file.
